Friends Of Hospice To Operate New Facility
Friends of Hospice has announced that it will operate a newly proposed facility on the island as an independent venture.
A spokesperson said, “Friends of Hospice has announced that after significant consideration, they had reached the decision to operate the newly proposed hospice facility unveiled in October 2019 as an independent venture.
“The charity is making the bold move to grow and evolve their business model in a significant way, which will include taking on responsibility for the management and operation of a new standalone facility within the community. Friends of Hospice will continue to support their community partners BHB during this transitional phase.
“Agape House is currently managed and staffed by Bermuda Hospitals Board and supported by Friends of Hospice. The facility is owned and maintained by BHB, and patients are cared for by an interdisciplinary team of BHB palliative care specialists and supported by Friends of Hospice. The mission of Friends of Hospice is to enhance the quality of life for patients and loved ones by providing specialized therapies and programmes.
“The model being introduced by Friends of Hospice is not unlike ones found globally, as many hospice facilities are independently operated by local charities. Internationally recognized examples are St. Christopher’s established by Dame Cicely Saunders founder of the modern hospice movement and Marie Curie, which operates nine hospice facilities in the UK.
“The ability of charities to offset operating costs through fundraising and the use of volunteer support play a key role in making the model an effective one.
“The original plans for the proposed hospice facility had to be reexamined as a result of financial strain placed on the local donor pool caused by Covid-19. This resulted in the charity reassessing their fundraising and revenue generating strategies, as did many organizations both locally and globally.”
Alison Soares, Chairman of the Board of Friends of Hospice, said, “While identifying ways to create a sustainable business model in a challenging economic environment we recognized that it was necessary to do things differently as we moved forward, we needed to be nimble and creative in our approach.
“It was an extremely difficult decision and not taken lightly, especially as we have been partners with BHB for more than twenty-five years. But timing is everything and it was decided now was the ideal time for this significant move.”
The spokesperson said, “The change in direction has resulted in amendments to the initial layout and location of the facility, which will allow the charity to provide additional and desperately needed services to the community.”
Judy Richardson, Chief of Nursing, said, “We wish Friends of Hospice all the best, and thank them for all the support they have provided Agape House over the years.
“BHB will continue to deliver a high quality, multi-disciplinary, palliative care service centred on patient needs, as this is required on-site for our palliative care patients. We look forward to finding synergies with Friend of Hospice as they follow their new direction that strengthen the delivery and quality of patient care in Bermuda.”
Jennifer Mahoney, Executive Director of Friends of Hospice, said, “Hospice care is a delicate balance of medical care and all of the additional services that differentiate hospice care from that of a traditional clinical setting.
“We will be providing patient centred care, which will be inclusive and expand upon the model that has been put into practice over the past 30 years. Friends of Hospice are poised and ready to deliver the level of care our community deserves and looks forward to sharing further details of the project in the very near future.”
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